Mychal's Message

04/11/2026

What’s new with Mychal’s Message?

Thanks to your donations, we are still meeting the needs of the homeless and poor. Below is a list of items recently donated.

Q-tips 1 pack of 500*
Toothbrushes 468*
Wet wipes 450
Toothpaste 114*
Chapstick 108*
Body lotion 95*
Deodorant 80*
Hats 73
Soap/body wash 48
Shampoo/conditioner 43*
Body lotion 33
Soap/body wash 32*
Toothpaste 29
Deodorant 24
Toothbrushes 23
Shavers 22
Shaving cream 22
Blankets 18
Packages of wipes 17*
Chapstick 13
Gloves 12
Shampoo/conditioner 11
Women’s coats 8
Wet wipes 6*
Sanitizers 4
Mouthwash 2*
Floss 2*

*Items donated by students at St. Leo the Great School in Lancaster, PA

BLESSED BLOOMERS (2025):
Men’s Underwear 213 packs (each containing 2 underwear, 1 T-shirt, 2 pair socks, 2 candies and a prayer card)
(Totals: 426 underwear, 426 pair of socks, 213 T-shirts, 426 candies, 213 prayer cards)

WISH (2025):
25 meals (with all the fixings to prepare Christmas dinner including a turkey, stuffing, macaroni and cheese, green beans, potatoes, onions, carrots, pie crusts, butter, pumpkin, and whip cream)
350 Christmas gifts (toys, clothing and shoes) for nearly 100 children.

THE CARLO EFFECT (a new project):
4 baby strollers

THE KENYA PROJECT:
School books and uniforms provided to children.

THE PHILIPPINES PROJECT:
Medicine, food, and clothing provided to families.

03/03/2026

02/17/2026

September 6, 2026 - this year’s Walk of Remembrance! Mark your calendars now!

Friends come from near and far to participate in the 911 Walk of Remembrance.
The 911 Walk Team is thankful for all who attend to Honor the Heroes.
NEXT WALK: September 6th, 2026
~~ WE WALK TOGETHER ~~
~~ WE WALK TO REMEMBER ~~

Tag your friends in the comments... Please share & repost these photos!
Spread the good word, be sure to like and share our page...
~ This photo from the 2016 Walk...
~ Photo Credit: Facebook.com/TimRyan9

Walk Contacts:
Facebook.com/TimRyan9
Facebook.com/John.Bates.12177

12/20/2025

THANKS TO YOUR DONATIONS …

From Turkeys to Toys: Local Nonprofit Delivers Christmas to 20 Families—Just in Time

Lancaster, PA — December 20, 2025

Local nonprofit Mychal’s Message is once again turning generosity into action this Christmas through its 11th Annual WISH Distribution, bringing gifts and a full holiday meal to 20 local families with a combined 75 children on Saturday, December 20 at 10:00 a.m. at McCaskey High School.

Thanks to a generous donation from the real Santa, Mychal’s Message was able to purchase Christmas gifts for children identified through the Office for Displaced Families, formerly known as the Lancaster Homeless Student Project.

The WISH Project begins simply—with children’s wish lists. Mychal’s Message becomes the bridge, ensuring Santa’s gifts reach children who might otherwise wake up Christmas morning with nothing under the tree.

Among the most requested items this year were basketballs and footballs, Barbie dolls, Wicked crocs, nail care sets, and educational toys—all carefully selected, purchased, and wrapped to reflect the unique wishes of each child.

In addition to gifts, every family will receive ingredients to prepare a full Christmas dinner at home. When longtime meal partner Bob Evans closed this year, co-founders Sharon Hickey and her daughter, Kelly Ann Lynch, pivoted quickly.

Using a $40 Aldi holiday meal as a starting point, volunteers assembled dinners that include:

• 20 turkeys

• 200 pounds of potatoes

• 100 pounds of carrots

• Ingredients for stuffing, green bean casserole, macaroni and cheese, pumpkin pies, butter and dinner rolls

But even that plan hit a last-minute snag. The turkeys scheduled for pickup on December 19—just one day before distribution—were sold out.

Once again, the community answered the call. One couple donated three frozen turkeys, another woman donated three more, several donors contributed funds, and additional turkeys arrived just in time on Friday afternoon—ensuring every family would have a centerpiece for their Christmas table.

All gifts were lovingly wrapped by One Voice Youth Ministry, while St. Leo the Great Church contributed 20 grocery gift cards through its Giving Tree program. Each family will also receive a red envelope containing a grocery gift card to help meet additional holiday needs.

Founded in 2001, Mychal’s Message is powered by a small but devoted group of volunteers committed to serving the homeless and poor with compassion, creativity, and collaboration.

“This will be a beautiful Christmas,” organizers say—one built on generosity, perseverance, and neighbors showing up for neighbors.

12/15/2025

It is bitter cold in the northeast. Please, if you are reading this, say a prayer for our homeless brothers and sisters who are sleeping outside tonight.

12/03/2025

This real man says, "We're just like everybody else. We just had a streak of bad luck.”

These are the people on whose behalf we accept donations. Take a minute and watch this.

Tenfold is opening its overnight shelter in Lancaster on Dec. 1, offering 40 beds and warm beverages to support those experiencing homelessness during the winter months.

11/29/2025

THANK YOU to One Voice Youth Ministry for wrapping the gifts for this year’s 20 Wish Families. Gifts will be distributed on December 20 along with all the ingredients to prepare a Christmas dinner for each family.

Sharon Hickey of Mychal’s Message organized this year’s Wish lists and purchased every gift, thanks to your donations.

11/26/2025

THANKS TO YOUR DONATIONS, we are currently shopping from the Christmas wish lists of children in 20 families who have been identified by the Lancaster Office for Displaced Families, formerly the Homeless Student Project. These gifts will all be wrapped on Black Friday by One Voice Youth Ministry and will be distributed to the families, along with all the makings for a Christmas dinner, on December 20. 

11/04/2025

THANKS TO YOUR DONATIONS, Sharon Hickey—who, by the grace of God is getting stronger every day—was at Aldi today purchasing all the canned and dry goods for 20 local families who will receive everything to make a Christmas dinner this year. These families have been identified by the Lancaster Office for Displaced Families (formerly the Homeless Student Coalition). When it gets closer to the drop off date, we will pick up the turkeys, butter, and other fresh items for their meals. All of the children in these families will receive Christmas presents. 

11/03/2025

Where are our prayer cards going this week?

Kingston, New York
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Olympia, Washington
Medina, Ohio
McKinney, Texas
Lakeside, California
Fremont, New Hampshire

10/04/2025

https://friars.us/article/2025/09/10/br.-chris-carries-on-legacy-of-hope-for-new-yorkers-in-need

How does one measure the legacy of a friar whose ministry became one with the very heart of New York City, whose 22 years as an FDNY chaplain were a tribute and a torch passed from a beloved brother lost on 9/11? What does it mean to reluctantly answer a call shaped by unimaginable sacrifice, but ....